What To Do When Crisis Strikes: Five Tips On Crisis Management

Beth Doane is an award-winning writer, speaker and entrepreneur. She is managing partner of Main & Rose.

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In the 21st century, a communication crisis can take the form of anything from a data breach to a tweet made in bad taste to a product gone wrong to a false accusation or rumor. Regardless of the source or nature of the problem, every crisis needs a response -- and quickly. What’s amazing is how poorly even the biggest and smartest brands and public figures sometimes handle crises.

As managing partner of Main & Rose, a global strategic communications firm that specializes in crisis management, I have seen it all. We have managed some of the most high-stakes crises in which we have had to mitigate potential damage and protect the integrity of well-known brands. These experiences have taught me and my team an extensive amount, and the following five tips about crisis management are key.

1. Move fast.

In today’s digital age, news travels faster than lightning. When something goes wrong, we no longer have the luxury of waiting to respond. If you don’t shape the narrative, someone else will do it for you. Even if all the facts have not yet come to light, it’s important to acknowledge the crisis, even if that simply means putting out a statement or tweet that says that the matter is being taken seriously and is under investigation.

That being said, be careful about the information that is included in any initial official response. In 2013, after Target’s IT system was hacked, exposing the personal data of up to 110 million customers, the company bungled the response by issuing a number of statements before officials were fully aware of the details. Some of the responses were factually inaccurate, forcing Target to issue retractions and new statements, which confused and enraged customers and made them feel like the company was incapable of handling the breach and protecting their personal information.

2. Take responsibility.

It’s simple: Even if you feel that the issue is not your fault, it is often best to apologize. While you may legally be in the right, the only court that matters during a crisis is the court of public opinion. Unfortunately, I’ve seen companies refuse to take responsibility, particularly when it comes to more subjective matters of taste or sensitivity.

Take the example of Cosmopolitan Magazine, when it posted an article in 2017 with the headline “How This Woman Lost 44 Pounds without *ANY* Exercise,” referring to weight loss that was the result of a rare cancer. Readers were shocked and disgusted, yet Cosmo refused to issue a formal apology, only changing its headline online. Cosmo created a lot of buzz because of the article, but certainly not the kind of buzz any media company would want.

Adidas, on the other hand, successfully avoided disaster after its own instance of PR tone-deafness. The sports company sent out an email to Boston Marathon participants with the subject line “Congrats, you survived the Boston Marathon!” just four years after the horrific bombing attack at the 2013 marathon in Boston. The company issued an immediate and sincere apology.

3. Be human.

When something goes wrong, people generally care most about feeling that their concerns and interests have been heard. That’s why it’s so important that companies facing a crisis resist the urge to be reactive or defensive and instead project a sense of empathy. Put a human face on the issue (for really serious issues, that person should be the CEO or another C-suite executive), and make sure your spokesperson can convey a sense of calm, sympathy and personal connection. Even a whiff of callousness will erase the entire effort.

No example is better than the disastrous response of BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The worst marine oil spill in history, the Deepwater Horizon explosion killed 11 people and spilled nearly five million barrels of oil into the ocean, devastating the ecosystem. But instead of projecting humility and sympathy, then-CEO Tony Hayward gave a stunningly cold interview two months after the disaster in which he said: “There’s no one who wants this thing over more than I do. I’d like my life back.” Hayward lost his job, and BP is still struggling to recover.

4. Set up channels of communication.

Regardless of the nature of the crisis, it is vital that you set up channels of communication (whether that’s a hotline or social media feed) where people can provide information, ask questions or simply blow off steam. Being seen as transparent and open is absolutely essential for protecting your brand after the crisis blows over.

One mistake I’ve often seen, however, is that people don’t realize that they need to target specific channels. If your customers are overwhelmingly active on one social media platform, or if the original issue surfaced or occurred on a specific platform, you must respond on that one.

5. Have a plan for next time.

Cultivate a strong brand culture both internally and externally that elevates transparency, honesty and accountability. But no matter how careful you are, disasters can still happen. Conduct vulnerability audits to see where problems could arise, asking questions about social media (how many people have the Twitter password?), security (how often do employees change their passwords and who handles IT?) and rapid response (does someone on the PR team monitor Google and social media for hits or negative mentions?). Have a clear plan and a designated team so that you can immediately jump into action.